Air-engine



(No Model.)

E. THUBMMLER;

' Air Engine.

Patentecl Oct. 12,1880.

FIB. l.

FIE'r. Il.

WITNESSES INVENTOR .5'o l Y t and of a similar shape, and extending back To all whomit may concern."

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

'f EDWARD THUEMMLER; on Ll'rrrnn nooiennmnsas, Y i

AIR-ENGINE.'

srncrrrcATIoN fornng parser Leners `Patent No. )233,125, 'dated octane; radeau f Application tiled March 5, 1880. (No modeh) Beit known that I, EDWARD THUEMMLER, a'citizen of the UnitedStates, residing 'at Little Rock, in the'county of Pulaski and State of Arkansas, have inventeda `new and useful Air-Engine, of which the following is a specification. Y

My invention Vrelates to air-engines; and, the object is to improve the construction of those air-engines in which a bell or air-shifter is reciprocated andV the confined air alternately heated and cooled on o'pposite sides or endsof said bell `or shifter; and the invention consists in'the construction and arrangement of `the parts;as will ;be hereinafter more fully described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings andthe letters of reference 1 marked thereon.

In the accompanying Figure l is a vertical longitudiualsectionof an 4air-engine` according to my construction. `Fig. 2 is a modification of the saine for a'vertical-,engina In the drawings, A 'represents a cylinder of a reciprocating engine, in which a piston, a,

moves This piston' is made in the form of 'a double piston, or of two pistons, each properly packed, set such distance apart as will admit of `the. `stroke without either ot' the pistons passing the openingsal x, placed in the cylinder about the middle thereof, and connected together in such manner` that, while forming a single piston, an `annular space shall exist between said pistons of'suttlcient' volume to permit therein a i'ree circulation of lubricating Vand cooling iuaterial admitted to and iowing i'rornthe'cylinder through said openings a: a',

- To the forward end of the piston there is con-V nected a piston-rod, a,whichpasses through a suitable stuiiing-box', and is connected-to an ordinary connecting-rod, I), that connects to the `cran k c, which imparts motion' to the ma chinery.v 'At the opposite end of the pistou'is iirmly attached, in any suitable manner, a. bellor air-shifter, B,.preferablyniade in fthe form* of a hollow cone' made double, and the space i between its "wallsorshells filled with suitable non-conducting materiah Saidrmateriallnay 1be `ext' ndedinto the interior of the piston.

i A casing, G, is connected directly to the end of theeylindenA, on thesauxe side as the bell and around the bell and into the` lpart thereof so as to entirely `inclose it. A suiiicient space is left Abetween the casing-,Gand i V the bell B, so as to allow the latter to more freely backward and forward rin the lijney'of motion and to theextent of the stroke of the piston. t

' The casing() forms the reservoir` or principal ain-container of the-engine. It islalso made double, and part of its len gdr-about onchalf, more or less-permits of a free circulation.

of water to keep that endcool, while the other part is intended for thccirculatiop of the. hot air from'the furnace and the products ot'combustion, this end being thereby kept hot.v This part is connected ft-o a furnace, D, prorided with `grate-bars and all the necessary appli- ;ancesof-a furnace, and iii-the space-between v f the shells tliereofniay he arranged spiral or other shaped iianges' or guides', d, by which a circuitous passage is formed, so as to sonic- What retard'the products of combustion until they reach the'chimney E'. The'bell B is supf ported and guided attlie end opposite the piston by one'orinore bars, f, firmlyattached`V at that end, moving in suitable channels made rinthe extended shell of the reservoir or ably inclosed-with a water-jacket, and maybe connected by suit-able' pipes m n, for'the pnr-l pose of` circulation, withthe water-jacket of the principal reservoir. Attached to and comi' inunicatin g with the'interior voi' the cylinder A at the end nearest the crank, by the"` pipe fi, is an air-chamber,-O,`1illed. with air ot any requiredv density'` and pressure. This chamber is connected with the interior. ot 'the V.air-reseri voir G by 7 the ypipelk, litted with the `taire` p,

which is operatedby a governor.'V The engine is fitted withsupply and drain cocksal satetyf valve, and suitableair-pumps for supplying and compressing `(air. into the' en giileiintily the working *pressure` and density l are obtained,-

and to restorefany loss by waste or leakage when running. Suitable expansion-joints -y y', are inserted between the cylinder and the reservoi r, and between the hot and cold 4parts of the latter, to take up unequal expansions of the various parts heated to dilierent :tempera- In the modification, Fig. 2, is represented a v vertical engine whose construction is similar nto thatof Fig. l. Inz thiscase the bell is attaehed tothe piston-roda, which is provided with a yoke, l, in which the crank-pin moves- The piston-'rod is then extended beyond thev -yoke and attached to the piston, whichmoves in a cylinder, G, open at its lower end toY the,Y atmosphere, while its 'upper end is connected by pipes r rwith the reservoir.

.The-operation ot' my engine, referring tov ,F'igrlfis asrfollows: The cocks and valves being clo'sedand the cn gine filled with air at the ordinary atmospheric pressure, thepiston l lis brought to `the greatest distance' from the,

crank and the tire lighted. The air, being i`n front of the hell and disposed upon thefhot surfaces of thereservoir, is heated, expands, and propels the piston forward, at the same time forcing theai'r inthecylinderlinto the chamber 'Jrime required by the crank topass itsforward dead-point, and loses a great part of its `ex-- pansive power, so that Athe expansive forcerev sidingin th'e air-chamberv O as tlieresult of the compression vproduced` during the forward stroke comes into effectual operation in producing'the'return-stroke, compressing the air in the reservoir C and shifting same to the forwa` (lend f said reservoir, where it'is reheated and ready to pass through thel saine cycle 'of changes and effects asthatjust traced. Part of the power developed in the-manner described is applied to operate the supply airpump, which, by the operation ot' the engine, is arranged to condense vthe air inthe engine, gradually injecting successive quantities from the atmosphere Auntil they pressure is attained in `the chamber() and reservoir Gat which the engine is required tobe run. During such condensation theva'lvepis momentarily openedat .frequentintervals, and' the proper equilibrium of pressures in the chamber and thc'rescrvoir thus secured; `When the desired pressure has been at ined theair-pump isset toinjcctonly an egu valent for the air lost in waste and leakage, -or a smaller pumpv put in operation for the latter purpose. The governor will regulate the speed vot the engine whenever the normal speed is exceeded by allowing the val ve p to open, and thus establishing as near I an equilibrium between the chamber O -andA closing when the speed is reduced, and remaining' closed until the speed rises too high. Opening the valve p beyond the limit allo ed the governor stops the engine, which sta ts again when the said valve isclosed.

Rigidly connecting my bell and piston greatlysimplifies the machinery, and 'the form ofthe conical bell and casing or reservoir keeps the vair always disposed on the hot or cold `surfaces, as the'case may be, in. 'a thin annular sheetmost advantageous for the rapid exchange of heat therein. g A

By causing my lubricating materia-l to circulate in thecylinder,'and then vcooling' said ahigh degree of heatY in my reservoir .with-v surfaces of the-engine, cooled as described.

By means of the air-chamber O, employed as described, `my engine eanbe worked under high and proportionally7 ,advantageous pressure.

For the sake of brevity, I havein the above specifications employedl thefw'ord air to material in the Atank F, I may safely employ f out injury to the working parts and rubbingrepresent thc material whoseexpansive.prop-v Ier'tieS, under the eiieictsoheating and cooling, are employed t-o produce power and mo-l tion, as described. Said material may, however, consist ofany vapor, gaseous, or liquid' substance exhibiting similar properties under similar conditions.

Having Athus described-my invention-,what

I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In an air-engine, the bell or air shifter B,; made in the.form`ot` a holloyvr cone, reciprocat# IOO 'ing in the reservoir C, of conforming shape,

all substantially as shownand described.

2. In an air-engine, the bell or air-shifter B,

nected with and open. to the cylinder at-the crank end of same, as and for the purpose set' forth.

4. vIn an air-engine, the combination of the rigidly connected to the piston a, and movingV 3. In an air-engine, the air-chamber 0, conreservoir() and thcair-chamber O with the.A pipe k and-valve \p, as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In an air.-enginethe eombinati'onof the double'piston a with the cylinder-openings@ w', the pipes g It, and the lubricator-tank F, as andfforte' purpose set forth.

6. In'airair-engi'ngthe method of cooling the working` parts Aby means of lubricating material passedvinto the cylinder, and vvfrom thence through a cooling tank or vessel, F, substantially as shown and specified.

EDWARD THUEMMLER.

Witnesses Jus. F. WELCKER,

rescrvoirll as the case"requires, the valve D. P. CoWL. 

